Garduno-Martin shoots Half Moon Bay into Nor Cal regional finals

That is, until Garduno-Martin put on a show in the third quarter en route to scoring a game-high 24 points. The senior’s highlight moment came at the start of the second half with a long baseline inbound pass, airing out a lofty shot downcourt for Meighan, who slipped behind the Marysville defense to catch the pass in stride at the top of the key and take it smoothly to the hoop for a layup.

“We’ve always had that,” Meighan said. “We’ve had experience, chemistry running that play. So, we felt comfortable doing it. ... When coach calls four across, I’m always looking for it.”

The long bomb set the stage for HMB’s stunning 24-10 third-quarter run, as Garduno-Martin put the Cougars on his shoulders.

HMB (19-11) established a fluid tempo in the first half, with Meighan running the point with precise and selfless passing looks. The junior finished with 17 points, five rebounds, seven assists and four steals, with six of those assists coming in the first half, four in the first quarter.

“He’s our bulldog, he’s our spark plug,” HMB head coach John Parsons said. “He brings great energy to our team every day in practice. He’s a hard worker, and he’s a versatile player out there. ... He’s a fearless player out there for better or for worse, sometimes.”

Still, with Marysville (26-8) hitting 7 of 13 shots in the first quarter, and HMB committing 15 turnovers overall, including five in the opening period, the Cougars took a mere 31-26 advantage into halftime. What’s more, the sharpshooting Garduno-Martin — who, typically can’t be stopped once he finds a rhythm from long range —  hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter, but didn’t connect for another the rest of the night.

“Gio’s a great player,” Parsons said. “He’s a knockdown shooter. I think he made three 3s in the first quarter, so we knew they were going to push up on him. ... So, he never backs down. He’s used to that. He knows he’s the top guy on everybody’s scout, and he’s relentless. He’s relentless just attacking and finding those ways to help our team win.”

So, in the second half, Garduno-Martin showcased his depth as a shooter, taking isolation matchups from up top and driving to the cylinder for two strongman layups early in the half to make it 40-32. When Marysville adjusted and sent help on the left-hander’s third straight cutting drive, the 6-2 marksman pulled up to drill a midrange jumper to keep it at 42-34, this time sparking a 10-1 run.

“From what we got from him, we wanted to send him to his right hand,” Marysville head coach Stan Easter said. “We know he’s left-handed, he drives it, he’s a strong player — run him off the line, force him to his right, wall him up — and we just didn’t do a good job of that. I think he made it to where we didn’t do a good job of that, because he’s like: ‘No, I’m getting to my left hand no matter what you do.’”

Then, the Cougars played tic-tac-toe as junior Daniel Acosta got it to Meighan at the top of the key, and Meighan delivered a backdoor bounce pass to Garduno-Martin, who put it to the paint to weave through two Marysville defenders and power for the layup.

“He’s the soul to our offense,” Meighan said of Garduno-Martin’s performance. “He gets us going. He’s our leading scorer. He’s the guy we trust with every shot.”

Meighan punctuated the gem by responding to Marysville’s tenacious defense in kind. The junior hawked his third steal of the quarter, intercepting a crosscourt pass and breaking away for a transition layup, capping HMB’s 10-1 run to bump the lead to 50-35.

The Cougars enjoyed a well-rounded performance by the numbers, with four players scoring in double digits. Senior center Owen Perez finished with 13 points, while senior forward Daniel Moctezuma had 11. HMB shot 57.8% from the floor, including 10 for 14 in the third quarter.

“It’s amazing with this team that we’ve been playing with each other since we were like in first grade,” Meighan said. “It’s so amazing to win it with these guys.”

Marysville traveled 150 miles south to play without its regular starting five, as junior point guard Davi Perez suffered a season-ending injury Feb. 18, while scoring a team-high 20 points in the team’s Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV playoff opener, an 80-44 victory over Dixon.

“It was tough, but that’s no excuse,” Easter said of losing the All-Pioneer Valley League second-team guard. “Half Moon Bay has a great team.”

After falling in the Sac-Joaquin Section semifinals to Venture Academy-Stockton, Marysville did HMB a big solid in the Nor Cal quarterfinals by knocking off No. 1-seed Chico 65-58, making Saturday’s semifinal a home game for the Cougars instead of a road trip 190 miles north.

The semifinal run marks the best finish of any team in Marysville history.

Marysville’s All-Pioneer Valley League first-team selections played fast and furious in the semis. Junior forward Steven Martin and senior guard Jordan Witt shared the team-high with 15 points apiece, though Easter’s team was held to a 39.3% shooting clip from the floor.

“[HMB] execute really well, and their pressure really bothered us and we couldn’t make a shot,” Easter said. “Sometimes, that’s basketball. I thought we got some good looks, and we just didn’t knock them down.”

After blocking a shot in the fourth quarter, Perez came off the floor for the Cougars. The 6-9 senior was on crutches on the sideline the rest of the night.

“He said there’s a weird part of his leg that is bugging him,” Parsons said. “He’s on crutches right now. So, I do not know his status. So, we will find out on Monday. Hopefully he’s in the lineup. If not, it will be next man up.”

With the win, HMB advances to the Nor Cal Division IV regional finals for the second time in four years. The Cougars will travel to Atherton to take on an old nemesis, No. 2 Sacred Heart Prep, after the Gators knocked off No. 11 Burlingame 60-54 Saturday night.

Tuesday’s tipoff at the McGanney Sports Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. Winner will advance to the CIF Division IV state championship game this coming Saturday at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento.